These tools are designed to spur interest in a book and to create sales. There are two tools that are most effective.

The first is the Free Book Promotion tool. It allows the seller to choose 5 days during every 90-day term to make their book free to the public. The motivation is to get more eyes on the book, hopefully spurring interest, and to increase reviews. Consensus is that the offering of free eBooks does tend to raise subsequent sales, at least nominally. We have used this tool on about 20 different titles, and many book don’t show any sales directly following a free offering, while some show anywhere from 5 to 10 extra copies sold, and we’ve had a few books that have sold 50-100 extra copies in the days right after an offering.

The second KDP tool is the Kindle Countdown deal. This promotion can last for anywhere from one hour to seven days. It allows the author to lower the price to as low as $.99 per copy (Must be at least $1.00 less than the retail price). The price can rise in 4 steps back to the original retail price during the period and there is a countdown clock visible on the product page. Alternatively, the price can stay at the initial price for the entire selected period. Compared to the Free tool, the obvious benefit of this tool, beyond the promotional effect, is that the seller is still making 70% of all sales on the book, while selling more copies. Continue reading →

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For years, the experts have been predicting the demise of the printed book, suggesting that we would all be reading books on our computers instead. In spite of the obvious advantages of the e-Book; lower cost, portability, better for the environment…, these experts are still waiting for the end of the Guttenberg era.

With the release of the iPad and the Kindle, we may finally be approaching the age of the e-Book. But the printed book isn’t dead yet. According to The Association of American Publishers, digital book sales are growing significantly, but are still a small portion of trade sales, amounting to only a 6.4 % share in 2010. It may be many years before eBooks overtake their printed counterparts but it is obvious that both versions are important in the publishing industry.

An author or publisher must often make the decision on what format a book should take. Some books might fit best in the print category, while others would be best presented as an eBook, but the majority of books can, and should be offered in both formats. To choose a single format for a particular book can often cut out a portion of the population that might purchase a book, thus cutting the possible profitability of a project.

Large publishers and small publishers alike are making the mistake of choosing a single format for their books, and the actual process that is used to create each format is very similar, with only minor modifications to a particular file being necessary to create either a print or digital book.

If you are an author who is preparing to publish a book, you would be making a mistake to not seek its publication in both formats. You should make sure that the publisher that you choose is both able, and willing to offer your book as an eBook and printed volume. The Educational Publisher is such a publisher, with experience in both print publishing and in the creation of eBook formats for Kindle, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader and more. For more information, visit The Educational Publisher website at BiblioPublishing.com.

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Authors who published their books in the twentieth century had to follow the same rules and ran into the same obstacles. They had to depend on the acceptance and the control of the publishing houses. Once a work was submitted to a publisher, or numerous publishers in most instances, the author would be required to follow the rules of the publisher. Rules that benefited the publisher far more than the author. The publisher controlled the content, pricing, marketing and production of the book while the author was left with very little compensation for all of their work. And when the publisher determined that the book was no longer of interest, they discontinued the offering leaving the author with no options since they had signed over all of their rights. In some cases, authors even had to pay money up front to the publisher or contract to purchase an inventory of books.
The twenty-first century has brought drastic changes to how books can be published. The event of the age of digital on-demand printing has changed the playing field. Authors can now publish there own books directly with the help of on-demand publishers. These publishers are able to accept a digital file from an author and print & bind as many or few copies as the author desires. The author retains ownership of their work, can determine their own pricing and their own royalties. Some of these on-demand publishers are offering additional services such as formatting, cover design, production and fulfillment. And one publisher is offering all of their services at no charge. To learn more about the Educational Publisher’s free publishing services, visit their website at www.BiblioPublishing.com.